How do I check oil level in this car and how much oil is too much oil!?

[leyus New Driver Find all posts View Profile Close leyus]

I changed oil on this car at least 4 times already myself, and changed it on few different cars, and I know I sound daft but I have no clue how to check oil level on this dipstick!

I read two dozens opinions on fb groups/forums/random online places some saying check 10 min after driving, some saying check on cold engine, some saying to turn dipstick 180, some 360 before taking out. On all cars I checked before I would get roughly same level on insignia i get different reading every time!

I usually put 4 litres of oil, turn engine on to pump some to filter, check it shows minimum. I add 0.1 l it shows slightly above minimum, I add another 0.1-0.2 l shows half to 3/4 first drive shows full first dpf burning it shows above full but.... not on every check and im not certain about it as its always covered in oil above level, both sides of dipstick show different levels, I will check next day and it shows something else, tons of oil stays on dipstick so it sometimes seem way above full. Do I have to check it at the end of the rainbow? Is there any trick with this or is it just rubbish ? Every oil change 4 litres shows too little even slightly above and on next drive shows full and next dpf burn it looks like there is too much.



And no i don't have coolant leaking in, there is no signs of it, neither there is strange smell of oil, I check error codes, nothing there, i check oil pressure with OPL monitor app it goes to 5.1 bars if i rev it high but on regular drive it stays on normal level so nothing unusual I guess.

I thought that after few oil changes I will eventually figure it out but I am just more and more confused.

[justin43 Street Racer Find all posts View Profile Close justin43]

Doesnt the german writing on the slam panel say you have to get it up to temp and then wait 5 mins before checking the level?

My german isnt that good

[lizzard-t The Stig Find all posts View Profile Close lizzard-t]

The weird pattern as far as I can think .top of the pattern is full , the bottom is minimum So between max and minimum is approximate 1 liter .( but as with anything always check users manual) because that's what its there for .
Me personally, I check to see how much my car takes , wet the filter housing ( if cartridge type ) or fil, filter ( if cannister type)
then add till you have 1 liter left to put in.
remember it takes a couple of minutes of filling for the oil to reach the sump due to small oil galleries.
Once you have it up near enough to maximum, then "prime " the pump ( ie allow the starter to tun over a couple of times then stop, and repeat a few more times) .you don't want to be filling then just starting the car , because oil pressure will be lower and those few seconds when oil pressure is low ant good.
run for 10 minutes check for leaks ,then stop ,
Checking level is like making love, take it out ,wipe it put back in and take out again, then check reading.

[Ernst Advanced Driver Find all posts View Profile Close Ernst]

Doesnt the german writing on the slam panel say you have to get it up to temp and then wait 5 mins before checking the level?

My german isnt that good

What, you've got German writing in your Vauxhall, how's that possible?

If you want I could try to translate it, just post a picture of it.

[Jon199102 Car Enthusiast Find all posts View Profile Close Jon199102]

I measure what I take out from both the sump and oil filter. Then replace. Always check after a drive and let the engine cool for 10. That's how I was taught and it's never been a issue.

[john_k_sri Street Racer Find all posts View Profile Close john_k_sri]

What, you've got German writing in your Vauxhall, how's that possible?

Well, on the Insignia B, I finally freed the covers for the scissor jack on the VX-Line, they were really tight, and when putting them back in, I noticed that all four covers were a different size/shape. Inside the covers it indicated where each one fitted.....in German...Front = 'V' (Vorderseite), Rear = 'H' (Heck), Left = 'L' (Links) and Right = 'R' (Rechts).... Also, es gibt 'VL', 'VR', 'HL' und 'HR'.

[justin43 Street Racer Find all posts View Profile Close justin43]

This is what my handbook says for my 2011 2.0 160

[leyus New Driver Find all posts View Profile Close leyus]

I finished work today and it wasn't dark so I took few pictures on cold engine. I can repeat on warm tomorrow but.... It's the weirdest stick Ive seen in my life and I hate it.

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk

[lizzard-t The Stig Find all posts View Profile Close lizzard-t]

The hatched aera is where the level has to be .
If the whole of the hatched aera is covered then the oil level is at its maximum
if only the bottom
part is covered then it requires topping up ( if engine is cold approximately 1 liter )
if in doubt read the operation manual, thats what its there for.

[Ernst Advanced Driver Find all posts View Profile Close Ernst]

I finished work today and it wasn't dark so I took few pictures on cold engine. I can repeat on warm tomorrow but.... It's the weirdest stick Ive seen in my life and I hate it.

Sent from my M2007J20CG using Tapatalk

That seems to be common to Italian engines, my Coupe Fiat had the same kind of dipstick.

[leyus New Driver Find all posts View Profile Close leyus]

The hatched aera is where the level has to be .
If the whole of the hatched aera is covered then the oil level is at its maximum
if only the bottom
part is covered then it requires topping up ( if engine is cold approximately 1 liter )
if in doubt read the operation manual, thats what its there for.

The problem is that it seems to be always at maximum after dpf burn no matter how much oil I put in initially and it's impossible to tell when it's above maximum with this design.

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[lizzard-t The Stig Find all posts View Profile Close lizzard-t]

do you take the stick out , then wipe it then stick it back in , then take the reading?
you should do,that because there may be oil residue on the stick which can give you a false reading .
I can understand that its a bit of a silly design, but as Ernst said fiat alfa and lancia used that, I had that design on my Mirafiori.
to me from that photo it looks like its 3 quarters up the hatched aera .
you say it seems higher up the stick after a regen , are you checking it like I explained above ?
as long as its completing a full regen , your oil dose not smell of diesel. And all your glow plugs are operating, then its performing as required.
if after each regen the oil level was getting higher and higher, then it would be advisable to stop using it .
because the oil would be loosing its viscosity, and you may have other problems, like an injector letting by .

[leyus New Driver Find all posts View Profile Close leyus]

do you take the stick out , then wipe it then stick it back in , then take the reading?
you should do,that because there may be oil residue on the stick which can give you a false reading .
I can understand that its a bit of a silly design, but as Ernst said fiat alfa and lancia used that, I had that design on my Mirafiori.
to me from that photo it looks like its 3 quarters up the hatched aera .
you say it seems higher up the stick after a regen , are you checking it like I explained above ?
as long as its completing a full regen , your oil dose not smell of diesel. And all your glow plugs are operating, then its performing as required.
if after each regen the oil level was getting higher and higher, then it would be advisable to stop using it .
because the oil would be loosing its viscosity, and you may have other problems, like an injector letting by .

Yes i always wipe it, I will try to check again tomorrow as dpf burn should be in soon I will check on obd reader. Usually there is extra after first dpf burn and then following one seem ok and don't as much as the first one.

I bet next check will be different, it's always the case.

But yeah no diesel smell , no coolant issue , i change it every 5000 miles so every 2-3 months.